rles VII and the Duke of Burgundy. One by one the ill-gotten gains
were given up, and the English king lost even the French provinces he
inherited. In the year 1451 the only English possession in France was
the town of Calais. This, too, was lost about a hundred years after, in
the reign of Queen Mary. Yet the kings of England kept the empty title
of kings of France, and put the lilies of France in their coat of arms
until the middle of the reign of George III.

The last incident in the strange story of Joan of Arc remains to be
told. Ten years after her execution, to the amazement of all who knew
him, Charles VII suddenly shook off his idleness and blazed forth a wise
king, an energetic ruler. Probably in this, his better state of mind, he
thought with shame and sorrow of Joan of Arc. In the year 1456 he
ordered a fresh inquiry to be made. At this every one was examined who
had known or seen her at any period of her short life. The judgment
passed on her before was contradicted, and she was declared a good and
innocent woman. They would have given the whole world then to have had
her back and to have made amends to her for their foul injustice. But
the opinions of men no longer mattered to her. The twenty-five years
since she had been burnt at Rouen had been the first twenty-five of her
uncounted eternity of joy.

"The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful
men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away
from the evil to come."

* * * * *

XLV.

THE SONG OF WORK

MANY PHASES AND MANY EXAMPLES.

Music.

In every leaf and flower
The pulse of music beats,
And works the changes hour by hour,
In those divine retreats.

Alike in star and clod
One melody resides,
Which is the working will of God,
Beyond all power besides.

It is by angels heard,
By all of lower birth,
The silent music of the Word
Who works in heaven and earth.

For music order is
To which all work belongs,
And in this wondrous world of His
Work is the song of songs.

* * * * *

Divine Workers.

The Father hitherto,
And his Eternal Son
Work, work, and still have work to do
With each successive sun.

O bow the heart in awe,
And work as with the Lord,
Who, with his everlasting law,
Works on in sweet ac